Just because their talents were swapped doesn't mean their personalities were ;-)

Maki enjoyed her lab. It was one of the only places where nobody would bother her, where she could lose herself to the rhythm of the music playing, where she didn't need to worry about being tormented by anyone or called names.

When Kaede was with her, though, it was a different story, but not necessarily a bad one.

"I don't get why you don't share your talent with anyone else," Kaede said one day, sitting next to Maki on the piano bench after Maki had finished playing one of her favorite pieces. "You're so talented, I would love to have a talent like yours."

"It's not all it's cracked up to be; no talent is," Maki pointed out, shuffling the sheet music on the stand. "You of all people should understand that."

Kaede smiled sheepishly, as though she had been caught stealing the last cookie. "I know my talent is unsavory, that's why I would rather be able to play the piano as well as you can."

Maki just stood up and stalked over to her stack of CDs, rummaging through them until she found one in particular. "A lot of people seem to think I'm more cut out to be an assassin than you," she said as she slipped the CD into the player in the corner of the room, pressing play and letting the gentle melody slip over them. It was a rule to her that if she wasn't playing music, she had to be listening to it in the background of conversations. It was the only way she would be able to keep her temper in check.

"If by a lot of people you mean Kokichi, he can shut up." Kaede's laugh was light, almost matching the tone of the music perfectly. Not an entire day could go by without Maki wondering what their dynamic would be like if Kaede were the pianist and she were the assassin. She figured she'd probably be treated the same way she is now, and Kaede probably would have less teasing from Kokichi and generally less wariness towards her. Although, Maki had her fair share of wariness simply because of her demeanor and her only hanging out with the same three people.

Not that she cared.

The track in the player transitioned into a more angry, emotional song, not-so-subtly reminding Maki of all the times people called her emotionless because she put her emotions into her playing. If everything were different, she'd have no trouble punching their lights out, but she didn't want to jeopardize her hands. Kaede had offered on a few occasions, but she'd turned her down, not minding kicking them in the shin instead.

"You don't think that a lot of our lives would be made easier if our talents were swapped? You haven't ever thought about it?" Maki was deadly serious, staring into Kaede's eyes.

"No, and it's kind of concerning that you think of it so often," Kaede answered, her hands latching onto Maki's wrists in what she supposed was a soothing gesture. "I've learned to accept my talent, and it helps to think that so many of my targets are truly bad people. You don't have that kind of thing weighing on you, your next target or your next kill or being found out. You only have to worry about your next recital or learning your next piece. Do you know how hard some people work to play piano as well as you, only to have it come almost naturally to you?"

Maki's eyes narrowed a touch. "You almost sound like you're talking from experience." She glanced at her piano. "Is that why you stick around here so often? Do you like piano?"

Kaede blushed a bit, caught in her act, and let go of Maki's wrists, lacing her fingers together behind her back. "I mean, that's not the only thing in this room that keeps me coming back." She paused, letting Maki take in this information. "But I used to try and learn to play the piano, and I guess I've always been a bit jealous of how easily it comes to you."

"Why didn't you ask, then?" Maki allowed a small smile onto her face as she turned off the CD player. "Sit down, I'll teach you."

"R-really? Thank you, Maki!" Kaede sat down immediately, so eager that she was almost bouncing. Maki vaguely wondered how such a loveable dork came to be the Ultimate Assassin. But then, she didn't really care. Kaede was Kaede was Kaede.

And she was perfectly happy to keep it that way.